Community Climate Modeling with Jay Fein (Invited Presentation)

The Community Earth System Model (CESM) is a comprehensive climate model that has been developed by more than one hundred scientists. The CESM is currently being used around the world for diverse scientific research. This large scale-modeling effort began nearly 25 years ago at the National Center for Atmospheric Research. In its earliest phase it was called the Climate System Model (CSM), which then evolved to become the Community Climate System Model (CCSM) and then to its current state of the CESM. The development of the modeling infrastructure was a great intellectual challenge. The foundation of how this large community modeling effort would be developed, maintained and governed was laid down during the early years of the project. This presentation will discuss the critical role Jay Fein played in the community modeling effort. Jay brought tremendous energy and insight to how the community process should be governed and also provided guidance throughout the creation of the managing structure of project. In addition, Jay Fein showed keen interest in the scientific goals of the program. Personal reflections of the early days of the project will be provided with a focus on Jay Fein’s dedication and passion for the community modeling process.